I'm not taking sides in this discussion as I'm not emotionally invested in the correct answer. I'm just trying to nudge things along in pursuit of WHATEVER THAT ANSWER MAY BE.
So, here's something that simply popped up on Google.
Notre Dame Men's Football
"Notre Dame brought in
$97,944,469 in revenue from its football program while paying out $51,387,021 in expenses. This means the program turned a profit, making $46,557,448 for the school. This is great since many college sports programs lose money."
A couple of points:
- Does the statement mix apples and oranges? Does the $51,387,021 represent DIRECT COSTS or GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES? The piece refers to EXPENSES, but my sense is that it's actually a BLEND of costs and expenses. But I'm GUESSING. Anyway, this matters as it determines whether or not the $46,557,448 is a GROSS PROFIT or some level of NET PROFIT. Which in turn relates to how much ND football REVENUE reaches ND's actual bottom line.
- In any event, a profit of 47.53% would be an EXTRAORDINARILY HIGH GROSS PROFIT for any enterprise while a NET PROFIT OF THAT MAGNITUDE is largely UNIMAGINABLE.
- But then there's a reason for this outsized number: THE ABSENCE OF THE LABOR COMPONENT that actually PRODUCES THE PRODUCT.
- BOTTOM LINE: Believe in it or not, THIS IS A TREMENDOUS CASH COW for ND. That said, I'll leave the EQUITY SIDE of the argument to others.
- As for the hundreds of millions of dollars argument, 10 years of profit at $40 million does indeed produce hundreds of millions of dollars. $400 million to be exact.
- And when you take into account that ND football hasn't won an NC in 35 years but is still taking in THIS LEVEL OF DOUGH, my agrument that ND is basically a BRAND MAINTENANCE OPERATION trading on its FORMER GLORY appears, at least to me, ALL THE MORE SELF-EVIDENT.